Skybound - Colors of Sburbia
by J.B.Puffin
Summary: A group of eight high-schoolers finds themselves trapped in a Sburb-like Magic the Gathering clone. No familiar faces here - just two worlds blended into one, and an octet forced to bring about a new beginning...or a total end.
1. A Quick Prologue - Get in the Game

Before I get started with the actual story, let me tell you another: I'm a crossover fanatic. Most of my works bridge things, always with my own little twists, and after having already getting something on our sister site, I figured I might as well tip my hand and write a pure crossover thing. So, with that in mind, let's get started with...A PROLOGUE!

* * *

_*Ring ring, ring ring* *Click*_ "Hey, Kyle, you there?" a voice asks.

He sleepily stumbles from his bed, grabbing the small rectangle. "I am now, Judas. What's going on?"

"Me and the gang are thinking about buying that new Wizards of the Coast game, _Skybound_, and I was wondering if you wanted me to get you a copy," Judas answers, "Whaddya say, bro?"

"Sure, man, I love free stuff," the other boy smiles, wiping the sleep away with a coffee-brown arm.

The caller laughs. "Typical Kyle. Anyway, I'll have it by 3; think I can stop by to test it? My GameBrain broke on me, and we're all playing around then."

"No problem, Judester. See you then, I need to get some tea."

"Alright. Later."

Kyle closes the call, then heads downstairs, hoping to find his teacup where he'd left it. Lately, something had gotten the idea to move it around at night, and even after calling the police and the local exorcist, nothing had changed. Grabbing it off the kitchen counter, grateful for the break, the eighteen year old starts a kettle and goes back upstairs for his sister.

A voice at her door tells Laura she'd better shut the screen of her computer down, fast. "Laura, you up?"

"Yeah, I just got up," she lies. Kyle ought to know by now she never slept, in part thanks to her friends and in part the coffee machine and mini fridge by her desk, but old habits die hard for the fourteen year old.

"Sure you did, sis," comes the other side of the threshold, "Anyway, Judas is coming at 3, which means I'm heading to McDonalds for breakfast. You dressed to get some fast food?"

A moment passes, accompanied by manic shuffling from behind the wooden barrier. Kyle backs up to allow Laura onto the balcony. "Let's go, I'm starving. Can I get fries?"

"Why not? It is your birthday, after all," he smiles, ruffling her crimson-streaked locks, "Now let's hurry, we've only got an hour before he gets here with _Skybound. _Now where did that wind put my keys?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Judas, a St. Louis Cardinals cap bouncing on his closely-trimmed head, heads for Walmart, a stack of twenty-dollar bills in his pocket. He had already arranged to meet the others outside and pay for their copies, and since it was Laura's birthday knew he might as well get her a copy for her laptop. Why she still used that dinosaur was no mystery to Judas - it used a separate Gamma-Net connection, meaning she didn't have to keep her history - but it was impressive that even in 2021, such things still were used instead of the GameBrain.

Judas sees his girlfriend Sofia first; a quick exchange of saliva later, and the two are walking arm-in-arm to the electronics section, browsing for a small group of just-graduates.

"How was Phoenix?" the Mexican beauty on Judas' arm asked, "I missed you these past few days."

"Babe, we talked every night for hours, you know how it was - my parents want me to move back in with them, but they don't have the guts to withdraw my allowance, and at least one of my sisters is pregnant. Again."

Sofia flashes a knowing grin, a single curl bouncing into her beloved's neck. "I'm still surprised you keep leaving Dallas whenever they ask; seems like it'd be easier just to let the old farts rot, you know?"

"If he did that, then he'd lose his free tickets to Six Flag every year," a carrot-topped boy with a Canadian accent remarks from behind them. The two jump at the sound of Carson's voice, but quickly turn on him with joking punches. Shortly thereafter, they're joined by Lisa, Louisa and Jack, and they make their way to the _Skybound _display.

"I thought more people would've shown up by now," Jack wonders aloud, "Didn't they get the memo? 'Best game ever, coming out today'?"

Lisa shrugs. "They may have already gotten a copy. I heard the store was swamped around 3 am."

"Good thing they cleaned it up before we got here; I'd hate to get these shoes water-logged," her twin sister says. It was a popular theory that Louisa and Lisa were actually once Siamese twins, connected at the brain, but were separated unevenly.

Carson starts to glance around the various displays. "Where's Kyle? Didn't you tell him-"

"He just got up, Carson - I say he's getting breakfast," Judas answers with an edge.

"Okay, okay, sheesh," the Canadian mumbles, "Just asking where a friend is...hey look, _Skybound!_"

They make a mad dash to the counter, pushing Judas ahead of them like a convicted medieval criminal. A confused clerk takes his cash and tosses packages into the small crowd, handing Judas the last three, before taking off for a lunch break. The graduates scatter, migrating towards their various vehicles, and Judas drives to Kyle's house. Strange clouds are forming on the horizon...

* * *

Kyle comes to the door, a Jace Beleren T-shirt and skinny jeans barely on him. Laura, already in the living room, is readying the Game Brain, hooking up a trio of helmets to the chrome contraption. Judas hands his friend their copies (he'd gotten two for Laura so she could play with them) and takes his out of the package, reading the box methodically.

"What is this game supposed to be about, anyway?" Laura asks, handing the charitable lad a green and gold helm.

"It's an open-world Magic the Gathering game, like an Elder Scrolls game," Judas explains to her, donning his controller, "The character building is mostly random, and the game is constantly moving even when we aren't playing. Other than that, I really don't know what to expect."

Kyle takes a seat on the reclining chair next to Laura, already wearing his hat. "Just heard from the others; they're waiting on us at the moment. Fire it up, Laura."

There's a brief flash, followed by some loud buzzing. Then, they hear a series of explosions from all around them. It seems so real...

The next thing they realize is that their helms have been destroyed; apparently, the game was a LOT more interactive then it'd been given credit for. Just as they're about to start reaching a conclusion, however, they all fall to the floor, unconscious.

These are the events that led to the end of the world, April 13, 2021.


	2. Chapter 1: Past, Present, Power

Jack retakes control of his body and shakes himself awake, pushing off the ground with a grunt. 'Good job, everyone,' he thinks, 'Way to end the world in style.'

"Guys," Jack calls into his iWatch, "Anyone up? We need a plan."

"_Silly human; where you're going, you won't NEED plans!_" A rush of air behind him clues him in to the presence of another creature in the room with him. Without thinking, Jack runs for his closet and reaches for his plastic lightsaber. The collector barely has time to grab the faux-weapon and turn when a scrawny goblin charges towards him, slobbering and extending its claws. He swings, feels contact momentarily - and is shocked when it slices clean through his attacker with a furious flash, reducing it to ash in a single slash.

Jack twirls the hilt in his hands, retracting the now-dangerous edge. The pile of goblin ashes has reformed into a card on the floor, a reward for victory; he attempts to pocket it, then finds himself entering a game interface, the world around him pausing. "So this is what being an RPG character feels like," the stunned graduate whispers.

Three tabs make up his "pause screen": Spells, Stuff and Self. Jack opens the Spells tab and finds that his only spell is the **Goblin Savage**, which he cannot cast. Looking for his colors under the Self tab, he finds that his starting color is **Orange**, and that the game likes to keep secrets, giving him only his color and maximum Health. In the name of completion, Jack finds his Stuff includes, for the moment, a lightsaber, a school-suitable outfit, and a shiny armlet he'd gotten from his father before...whatever the hell had just happened. For the moment, in fact, the source of the apocalypse troubles Jack's mind the most - he can deal with goblins and planes, but killing his family? No way that was gonna fly. He wasn't always the most fun guy to be around, but he needed his family and friends...friends...

"Halloooo?" the orange planeswalker calls into his phone, "Anyone out there? Seriously, guys, don't leave a brother hanging-"

The screeching of high-energy particles answers Jack, along with a curse. "Son of a bitch goblins! At least **Flash**ing works. Hi Jack; how're you?"

"I'm fine, thanks Louisa. I'm not sure how you fit **White **at all, but it's nice to hear your voice. You're at your house, right?"

"Yeah, me and Lisa are here. It's pretty crowded, though - bring something sharp."

Jack twirls his lightsaber, a wicked grin sprouting on his face. "Don't worry about that, good woman. I've got just the thing."

* * *

Laura climbs to her room as fast as her legs can carry her, still dazed from the sudden collapse. Behind her, Kyle and Judas are piled on top of a now-unarmed goblin, occasionally throwing punches to pass the time. Reaching the door of her bedroom, she quickly swings the door open and immediately shut, then stands before it to examine her choices.

Now, Judas' sister has a thing for knives and magic; the multitude of Wiccan books, Aztec sacrificial daggers and other occult resources/sharp things on her shelves doesn't leave much to infer. She grabs her _Spellbinder's Almanac_ and a Celtic long knife from her shelf, then opens her Stuff tab and sticks the objects into a small "Alchemy" box. Laura fuses the two, naming her wicked weapon Hexenmesser (German for "witch knife"), and checks the rest of her tabs. She discovers her color affiliation is **Purple**, and that she knows a quick-to-cast spell called **Flaw**, which reduces its target's armor. Confidently, Laura exits her room, walks to the balcony and, her knife positioned to strike, expertly dives onto the goblin, crushing its larynx and destroying its heart simultaneously.

Kyle, wiping blood spatter from his face, grabs a fire iron from the nearby fireplace and twirls it like a cheerleader. "Incredible as always, sis," he claps her on the back.

"Could you do that before we came here?" Judas marvels, "Because if so, I should have been a **lot** more afraid of you."

"It definitely isn't new," Laura shrugs, a twinkle popping into place behind her eyes.

Feeling more secure in their abilities, the trio make their way to the kitchen - Kyle keeps his Magic cards in the bread box - and realize Jack had messaged them over their iWatches. A moment of embarrassment later, and some back and forth while Jack is walk-stab-walking his way towards the twins' house, they open up the bread box...and instead find a cluster of eight crystals, one for each of them and their friends.

"So we grab our color, right?" Laura asks, unsure.

"Yeah," Judas agrees, "It's safest that way."

With a nod, Kyle reaches for **Green**, and his Spells tab explodes with options. Laura and Judas, purple and **Red** respectively, are similarly blessed. Now, the only question is getting these to the others without-

Yellow, blue, white and orange flashes, along with a surge of black which quickly fades, bring the others into the room, their crystals already processed.

Jack is rather stunned, but manages to keep his composure. "That sure saved some time," he quips.

"Yeah, now we aren't waiting in a house for a couple hours for Your Royal Forceness," Louisa replies, taking the random teleporting in stride.

"At least we have spells now," Carson says, still glowing slightly **Yellow**, "What's our next move, guys?"

A paragon of her color, Laura's thoughts are instantly on the crystals. "We really ought to figure out what those were, guys."

"I agree," Sofia's **Blue** side quickly engaging, "It couldn't hurt to start digging into the story of this world now, while we aren't bogged down with quests."

"First things first, though," Kyle raises a hand, making his way out of the kitchen.

Lisa, still somewhat shadowed by **Black**'s influence, brandishes an air rifle. "And what would that be, oh distinguished advisor?"

"We need to get our other stashes. Sure, none of y'all collected as much as me, but we ought to get something out of it, right?"

"That makes sense," Louisa agrees, "but where do we go first? Why our stuff and not a game shop, anyway?"

Jack's eyes make a round trip to the back of his skull. "Because that's where the droves of monsters are _coming_ from, Miss Virtue. That still doesn't explain why you're already heading out the door, Kyle."

"I gotta take a shit; that so much to ask, brother?" He replies, clearly dying internally.

"While we're here, we can trick ourselves out anyway," Laura advises, "We all know how much stuff my brother and I've gotten over the years. Let's abuse it."

Carson cracks his knuckles. "Hell yeah, that's what I call proactivity. I call the basement!" In a mere instant, the Canadian is halfway across the house, showing off his lightning-quick **Blink** spell.

"Alright, then, guys, let's ROLL, " Judas declares, and the smash-and-grab begins.

* * *

Kyle, exiting the restroom after his pitstop with a goblin kill to his name, heads for his parents' room. He knows that there's something for him to find - probably green giving him some insight - and isn't at all surprised to find that Laura has a similar idea. A box at the top of the closet says "For Kyle and Laura"; seeing this as a good a time as any, Kyle retrieves it and places it on the bed. His sister pulls herself from under the bed at his askance, and the pair open the latch together. Each of them has a manilla envelope with their name on it, which they quickly tear open. Within moments, however, the world is turned upside down.

Laura begins mumbling to herself, her brain desperately working to follow. "They didn't tell him...why not? He has the right to-"

"She's adopted!?" her brother bursts, tearing through the rest of the letter, "'We knew how much you always wanted a little sibling, but when we went to the hospital that day, your mom had a miscarriage, and a young lady who was going to her put her daughter up for adoption heard about it...' Did they not trust me, Laura?"

"I don't know, Kyle - I can't even fathom what they were thinking to themselves to keep their conscience clean."

Jack came into the room, alerted by the noise. "Everything okay, Kyle?"

"...Jack, Laura's adopted. I'mmm not-t he-her b-broth-th-ther," he stammers, tear stains outlining the cracks in his cattail-brown skin.

"So does that mean," Lisa appears, without warning, "that you're going to have to redefine your relationship? Is there a better word than 'step-sibling' for such a thing?"

Laura throws her knife into the wall behind the black-hearted sorceress. "He's still my brother, even from another mother. That's all that matters, not how that came to be or any blood ties."

"But how long will that last?" the unfazed sniper finishes, leaving the room like a wisp of smoke.

"We'll work it out," Kyle whispers to himself, then more loudly, "We're alright; get back to work, Jack, it's cool."

A simple nod, and the Jedi complies. The witch is a little less certain, however. "Are you sure you're okay, bro?"

"...I will be," he lightly grins in response, his gut twisting like a pretzel with the words.

* * *

Meanwhile, underneath the house, Carson rips open a box of old computers. He calls Judas over, and the pair start shovelling parts into their Stuff tab.

"You know what's funny?" the carrot-topped Canadian casually inquires.

The brawler shrugs. "I dunno, what're you referring to exactly?"

"You and Sofia are opposite colors - so are Louisa and Jack. Do you think that'll have any effect on your relationships?"

"That's actually a good question; I don't really know yet, but it could make things a bit more interesting."

They collect the box itself and move on to one filled with voodoo supplies. "You know, Lisa and I are kind of allies."

"Really?" Judas raises an eyebrow, "I thought Yellow and Black were neutral?"

Carson smirks. "There's no such thing as a neutral combination; besides, both of our colors are willing to ignore moral boundaries to get things done. Of course, I'm about progress, and she wants all the power, but those aren't mutually exclusive."

"Are you trying to tell me something, Carson?"

The labor pauses. The speedster breathes heavily, then silently bursts.

"Lisa and I have been sleeping together for the past three months."

"...Why are you telling me?" Judas whispers

Carson responds in kind. "I need it off my chest - keeping it a secret has been murder on my spirit."

"That would explain the tension in your back...you know something, though?"

"What's that?"

"Sometimes, Lisa won't want to do things the fast way, she'll want them her way. You might find yourself stopping to let her catch up, if you're sure you wanna do this."

The yellow magus instantly responds. "I'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now, what's in this next box?"

* * *

Louisa, who'd always wanted to see Laura's room for herself, finds Sofia already digging around - specifically, helping herself to a canned Double Shot Espresso from the mini-fridge. After grabbing one herself, the white cleric sits at the computer desk and pokes around on the laptop, violating perhaps every social protocol a normal house guest could.

"So, Louisa, any plans now that the world's gone to hell?" Sofia asks, swinging her legs while sitting on Laura's springy bed.

"Besides single-handedly repopulating the earth?" the questioned replies, spinning her frying pan on a finger, "I want to go on a date with Jack before things get too crazy. He's a nice guy, and for all the crap we've given him about staying single his whole life, someone ought to give him a chance."

The blue mage's eyes cloud. "Yeah, nice for an ignorant autarkist who doesn't know how to isolate himself completely and takes it out on us."

"He's not that bad, Sofia; you just didn't know Judas when he was like that, the traitorous bastard he's never been to you."

"You sure are confident about this. I wish you luck."

The princess flashes a smile. "Thanks, you too. Now, let's see if we can find her stash."

"Stash? Laura's stash of what?"

"Weed, duh," Louisa rolls her eyes, "She's a witch; if there's no weed here, it's a crime against nature."

Sofia cocks her head. "But owning it would be a crime against the federal government, Louisa. I'm pretty sure you won't find any-"

"Right bookshelf, hollow Geometry textbook," Laura calls from her parents' room.

"See, Sofia? Simple as that," the white mage smirks, taking several bottles out of a tenth grade math book.

She stares at the pills inside, a discomfortingly hungry look in her eye - and then the drugs are thrust back into the book, which slams shut and returns to its seat on the shelf.

"What the hell was that for!" Louisa exclaims, frying pan in battle-ready position.

"Not now, not ever," Sofia mutters to herself, "Not now, not ever, not again..."

Laura, Messer drawn, sticks her head through the door - and watches a large door swing open from the same wall as the bed. A door, which had never been there before, opening to a staircase that sure as hell hadn't been there. "Girls, I think you've scared the house into evolution."

"That's just swell," Jack chimes, "Alright, guys, weapons drawn; let's see what we can take from this brand new structure."

"First, though, time to break down my room," the purple witch inserts, smashing her shelves and picking up mini-fridge and laptop in a single motion.

Kyle enters in after the quartet. "It's nice to see you're renovating this place after ten years, sis."

"No time for this, SMASHY SMASHY!" Carson screeches, barreling over the others with gymnastic grace and hurtling through the door.

"Well, don't just stand there," Judas calls from inside the hall, breathing somewhat heavily, "go after him! Who knows what trouble he'll get into."

And so, in a madcap dash for stuff, the seven remaining planeswalkers charge up a spiral staircase to reach their friend. A distance back, however, a shadow looms in Laura's room, a wicked grin materializing on the wall...


	3. Chapter 2: Crazier Than Kansas

Chasing Carson isn't easy - going to Nationals for his 4oo-meter dash and active membership in numerous sports organizations had shaped his legs like a hammer on red-hot metal - but with some collaboration on Judas and Laura's parts they make it to the top only seconds after the speedster. The top of the towerlike growth, however, is more than a simple room.

"Carson!" Lisa calls out, her eyes sparking with panic, "Damn it, which way did he go?"

Kyle inhales deeply through his nostrils, viridescent smoke ascending with the air. "I've got a trail on him - due south, maintaining his original speed. That's a lot of distance to cover, though."

"We ought to split up; there's no telling the structure of this thing that far from here," Sofia prophesizes.

"Good idea," Judas nods, "Lisa, you go with Kyle - he's got the scent, and you're are best hope to get him to stop. Laura and Jack, check the opposite side - God knows this could end up a long, winding circle. I'll go with Louisa east, for similar reasons; Sofia works best alone and can stay here in case our nomadic friend returns. Sound good?"

A series of shrugs, silent nods and vague grunts intimates the group's general approval; rather hurriedly, they split off and begin the search, eager to both explore the bizarre outcropping as well as locate their yellow Canadian. There's no telling what else they might find, though...

* * *

Kyle pants, holding his hands against his knees. After several years of separation from exercise in general, the druid's endurance maintains a rather low peak, but green's natural energy helps some. Even so, Lisa's insistence in conjunction with the strain on his muscles - Kyle already feels worn out.

"Come on, Kyle!" the sorceress sings, "I'm not rushing blind, and Carson could be dead right now!"

There's a groan from her companion. "I've got that, but my legs don't agree, and frankly I don't have the mana for magic assistance."

"How about enough to pass the trail to me? My tank's still running on full."

"Alright," Kyle responds after a series of deep breaths, "We'll share. Try not to leave me too far in the dust."

Time passes, and the trail brightens. "We're starting to catch up," Lisa smiles, glancing sideways at her adjacent compatriot.

"And to think, you thought I wouldn't be able to keep up," he smirks. At the precise moment he does, he crashes into the wall closest to him, instantly unconscious.

"Kyle!" *THUNK* The sorceress meets a similar fate on the opposite wall; the last thing she sees before the lights go out is the trail disappearing entirely, an illusion from the very beginning...

* * *

Jack's feet send echoes down the hallway as he hammers away from his pursuers. Laura had been caught unaware unfortunately, but at times like these, all that mattered was that he save his own skin. How had things gone so wrong?

Well, the witch and the Jedi have a few things in common: both are very selective of their friends, both have a penchant for acting out of impulse, and they know some things about each other the others would never dream to be true. It's that last one that gets them into trouble.

"Why is your lightsaber purple?" the witch asks him, "Did Mace Windu finally stop freaking you out whenever you watch _Revenge of the Sith_?"

The orange mage shakes his head. "Actually, that bald head still gives me shivers. No, I got the purple 'saber because it's in between blue and red, the major colors of each faction. Since I dabble in both, it makes sense to have a symbol of my neutrality."

"But a clever hunter conceals himself, why would you go out of your way to make yourself noticeable?"

Jack, who thus far had stayed ahead of Laura, knocks her into the wall and holds his arm to her neck. "Because if I can scare a challenger off, I won't have to kill them, perhaps at all. A much better alternative, no?"

"Funny how our orange 'walker is a pacifist, no?"

A dart from the other end of the hallway pierces the witch's neck; she sinks to the ground as the panicking Jedi leaves her in the dust, fight or flight response carrying him away.

'Damnit, why did I do that?' he curses to himself, "My distracting her might just be what kills her. Okay, as soon as I can turn, I'll draw my 'saber and-" Unfortunately, the second dart now firmly in his calf, entwined with his momentum, send him crashing into the floor, sliding several feet before his captors stuff him in a sack, the same as the others...

* * *

"Damn dirty surrakar!" Louisa screeches, lashing out with frying pan at a large, roughly reptilian humanoid. Beside her, Judas furiously lights into its compatriot, fists moving faster than arrows. Some had retreated, and one or two were dead, but for the most part it's an uphill battle for the pair.

"Why are they here?" the brawler asks aloud, "I thought these guys only lived in Zendikar."

The princess lets out a whoop after felling a particularly stubborn soul. "I don't give a shit why they're here, I just want them **out**. _Geh weg, Übelbestie!_"

"You really let loose during fights, don't you? I haven't seen you this amped up since that food fight in the ninth grade."

"And you, sir," Louisa grits her teeth after being pinned to the floor, "ask a lot of damn questions for an impulsive freedom fighter."

Judas spins over his quarry and snaps its neck in a fluid motion. "I'm not for complete freedom - just the freedom to act on our consciences."

"Then why on earth - **Banisher!**"

A somewhat scrawnier surrakar, blue magic oozing from his outstretched palm, watches as a horde of his kin finally subdue the two most troublesome of their prey. With a grunt, sacks fall to the floor from some unknown dimension, and darts are plugged in to the humans before they're stuffed inside their burlap cells. Another grunt signals them to return to base, and their new prisoners are dragged along the ground, helpless...

* * *

Well, almost helpless.

An invisible Sofia dances around the patrol, watching the sextet of bags for any movement. Seeing none, the clairvoyant carries on, determined to be taken to their leader.

It had started when she'd heard loud footsteps from all sides; in a panicked, she'd cast **Invisibility** and hoped for it to go away...until she saw the lumbering demi-humanoids carrying a pair of suspiciously human-looking sacks, and hence decided her friends needed help. So, she'd followed, and watched helplessly as her friends were captured in their pairs by the Zendikar natives. Finally, though, her torment pays Sofia back as she reaches their base - the _actual_ top of the tower.

The **banisher** shoves his palm through a vaguely hand-shaped hole in the brick, igniting a section of the wall with pure cerulean flame. As the procession continues with Sofia along for the ride, the sacks ripple - the party's awakening. The blue 'walker barely has a chance to notice the shift, however, as the bags are tossed at a - holy shit...

A giant of a surrakar sits on a throne sunk into the wall; it glows a vibrant crimson, radiating pure rage and bloodlust. 'A red-shifted surrakar...what a troubling discovery,' Sofia mulls.

"We've returned, Barbaruk," the **banisher** growls, "What is thine-"

Barbaruk holds a hand for silence, then points at the invisible clairvoyant. "Seize the intruder; her thoughts trouble me."

"What intruder?" the marauders ask in unison, frantically running around and trying to find their foe.

"Me," she whispers, dispelling **Invisibility** and sending a **Tidal Wave** at the horde. Along with sweeping several of them off their feet, the water splashing on the bags wakes the party. Stumbling out of their bags, another wave of tranq darts swoops from a set of balconies, sending them back into the drink and slumber...and then, lightning fell.

Carson, riding a spitting bolt of electrons, crashes onto a balcony and sends its occupants flying. Tossing **Ball Lightning** into the other group, the speedster crosses his arms with a smile. "Me, too, Barbar-Rust. Come get some!"

"As you wish, puny invader," the surrakar cracks, along with its neck and hands. He stands, the glow around him much more intense, and a **Raging Blast** washes over the Canadian and flings him against the wall. With a throaty growl/chuckle, Barbaruk shatters the stone beneath him with a mighty bound - only to fall back to it as Sofia ties him down with **Frozen Strands**.

"**Graaagh!**"an anger-infused Carson bellows, **Furious**ly **Launch**ing himself onto the surrakar, "**Die for me, whelp!**"

And the giant nearly does, his survival contingent simply on his refusal to die. The Canadian's twin knives buried deep in the flesh, Barbaruk grabs his attacker and flings him to the ground, breaking the clairvoyant's enchantment with searing red light. "Good try, invader, but not good enough."

"What about _this_, you oversized oaf!" Louisa cries from behind, bashing her mighty pan into the rager's skull. The others, having had "plenty" of time to gather themselves, and while they're still rather groggy, they have enough energy left in them to beat the shit out of their joint captor. Jack holds off until the others have had their turn, then deals a coup de grâce to Barbaruk, severing him down his waist with a pair of **Traumatic Blow**s. Kyle rouses himself completely, then looks to his small but merciless party.

"Good work, gang," he congratulates, "and a fine place to lay our heads for the time being. We've got some prisoners to deal with, but before that, I think we owe Carson and Sofia our thanks. Three cheers for our friends!"

**_"Huzzah! Huzzah! HUZZAH!"_** they cry, then collectively pass out from remnant tranquilizer in their systems. Carson and Sofia dispatch most of the prisoners, leaving two tied to the wall for later interrogation.

A little later, still not terribly exhausted, the Canadian tells Sofia his side of events, beginning with his arrival on the top floor. "I saw those guys walking around through the corridors while I was zooming around, but they never did catch wind of me. After a couple minutes, I got into their base by shorting their security system, then barricaded myself inside a storeroom. When I heard your **Tidal Wave** go down, I knew it was time to strike out, so I did. Glad you guys are safe - 'specially Lisa."

"Judas told me about that. Planning to make that public knowledge anytime soon?" the clairvoyant questions.

"Maybe," he shrugs, "as soon as I know she's still interested. What do you think, any chance?"

"She was pretty scared she'd lost you, Carson. It's certainly a possibility."

The speedster flashes Sofia a smile. "Thanks for the encouragement. Anyway, I think I'll go check on her; goodnight, Sophes."

"Good night, carrot-top. Don't burn yourself."

* * *

The next "morning" - time-tracking takes a vacation in the tower - Kyle is the first to wake up, whereupon he discovers a rather grisly scene. Two surrakar, the ones who'd been spared, are against the wall, but only just; they've been eviscerated beyond any hope of redemption, especially after the amount of time that passed. The druid thinks quickly, and wakes up the twins.

"Guys," he whispers, "Our prisoners are dead. I need your help setting up a **Speak With Spirits**."

"You can't torture them from beyond the grave, hon. Let dead dogs sleep," Lisa murmurs, clutching her rifle like a beloved pet.

Louisa glances at the bodies. "They probably wouldn't mind us avenging their deaths, though, sis..."

"Alright, fine; take 'em down and we'll see what we can do."

Releasing the corpses from their "captivity", Kyle finds himself even more disgusted by the killing. "I think they're missing parts…"

"Just check for entrails – we'll need them," the sorceress grimly replies, emptying an intestinal tract into a glass jug.

"Also, Kyle, do you have any sand? We'll need some for the ritual."

The druid pulls out a bag of pale fine powder and tosses it at Louisa. "Moon dust from my dad's stockpile. Same as sand for rituals, Laura checked."

"Of course she did," Lisa smirks.

"Alright," the princess shakes blood off her hands, "Let's do this thing. Lisa, the jug?"

"Right here. Sand?"

Louisa sprinkles the moon dust all around the container of surrakar guts. "Coating. Kyle, when you're ready."

"Grrfle," Kyle clears his throat, then whispers, "Go."

Black, white and green energy pours off the planeswalkers into the makeshift scrying pool; after several seconds, a wispy image of a surrakar appears before them.

"What you want?" it grunts in rough English.

Louisa gestures to the corpses. "Do you have any idea what killed you?"

"Yes," it nods, "the Gutcutter."

"And what is this 'Gutcutter'?" the druid asks, suspect of the idea.

The surrakar shrugs. "Don't know. Leave captives chained to wall, next morning blood in hall. Ward it off by just leaving them on the ground."

"Good to know next time," the sorceress mutters.

"One other thing," the princess asks, "Why did your people come to this tower?"

The surrakar's voice tightens with reverence. "It was safer than out there."

"What's out there?" Kyle probes.

"Everything..." the spirit fades with the word, leaving an ominous echo in its stride.

* * *

Carson wakes up to find the trio of early-risers standing over a jar of rotting organs, and he quickly decides to stay clear for the time being. Instead, he gets to work rousing the others, leaving the mystical work to those who give a damn. After the whole group is ready to go, Kyle gathers them around the now-burning jar to discuss what they learned.

"Just to clarify," Sofia caps, "we're going back down to get our stuff, but the entire outside world is in a state so dangerous, the fricken' surrakar were scared to be out and about, is that right?"

"Spot on, babe," Judas replies, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

The clairvoyant justs stares straight ahead. "You do know that's probably suicide, right Kyle?"

"Sure do," the druid agrees, "which is why we'll be using that tunnel system we worked on last year. It'll cut out some of the danger, for sure, although not all of it...damn goblins and dwarves love the things."

"I guess that'll have to do," Sofia continues her incredulous attitude, stunned by their mix of forethought and recklessness.

Jack raises a hand. "Do you think we should split up to make things easier? Otherwise it might take too long to get our shit before it all hits the fan."

"Good point, Jack; this is pretty time-critical," Judas, their division expert, chimes in, "We'll cut in half: Jack, you take the twins and Carson through y'alls' houses, while I take Kyle, Sofia and Laura through ours. Sound good?"

"But we just ransacked Kyle and Laura's house; split them up, along with Louisa and me," Lisa protests, albeit with sound evidence.

Kyle takes the ball. "Then I'll go with you, Jack and Carson, and Louisa can go with Sofia, Judas and Laura. Sound better?"

"Much, thank you," the sorceress rubs her hands together.

"Alright, now that that's settled," the druid continues, "let's hit the road. Last one down the stairs owes us all an uncommon!"

And so they rush down the stairs, eager to continue on the next leg of their journey - except for Sofia, who may just be right about her premonition...Guess we'll have to wait and see.


	4. Chapter 3: Tunnels and Trails

Laura and Sofia reach the bottom last - the witch had slowed down in order to plan with her distinguished elder.

"You don't like this rushing about, I take it?" she casually asks.

"You've got that right," the clairvoyant murmurs, "Laura, this is a terrible way of doing things. Seriously, they're all just barrelling off like lemmings or some shit. Ughh."

They glance around the room - already completely vacant. "By the way, what was up with flinging my drugs back onto the shelf?"

"I um...there've been some things-"

"Yo, ladies!" Judas calls from downstairs, "Let's get a move on here!"

Sofia answers the summons, faster than necessary. Laura grabs what little is left in her room - including the hollow Geometry book - and follows, shutting the door behind her. For once in her life, she was glad to leave it; something about the empty space seemed...sinister. Probably nothing, of course.

The pair join Judas and Louisa at the bottom, still wary of their pace but nonetheless willing to begin the work ahead. Kyle's group has already begun their journey to Lisa's place; this leaves the other foursome to rob Judas and Sofia's houses.

"First stop - my place," the brawler declares as they walk, "I've got an entire armory in the basement, and right now I'm hurting for a weapon."

"You can't just stick with your fists? They're kind of overpowered, Judas," the princess counters, twirling her pan absentmindedly.

Laura flips her Messer. "She has a point. Would be nice to have a pistol, though."

"I at least want some gloves," he murmurs. He stays quiet for the next few minutes, giving the group time to mess with their inventory screens as they carried on.

* * *

Team Twins' House, meanwhile, blasts its way through another goblin barricade, lightning and sand-streams jointly sundering wooden walls. Carson takes point, launching **Lightning Strikes** with reckless precision; Lisa and Kyle combine forces to **Putrefy** the rabble, restricted only by their focus; Jack stays to the back and sets a pair of **Dust Devils** on the unsuspecting colonizers. In no time at all, the resistance is crushed, and the group moves on.

Several more of these groups occupy the party, to the point that Carson begins to run out of steam, but at last they reach the roughshod circular entrance into the twins' house. The speedster leans against the door, only to fall to the floor as it pushes gently open.

"They're already in? This sucks something awful," the sorceress mutters, rifle at the ready in seconds.

"Be prepared for anything," Kyle cautions, "We have no idea what else could be in there."

The Jedi jumps to the front, lightsaber in hand and swirling in a circle. "With my handy-dandy glow-stick, I don't think that will stay a problem for much longer. Let's get 'em."

They single-file through the door, safe behind the laser blade's glow. After a brief search, the druid makes the call - the goblins aren't in the house.

"Maybe they just got bored," he shrugs, "This house isn't exactly designed for their entertainment, you know?"

"They left shelter out of boredom? Typical greenies," Lisa scoffs.

Carson shivers slightly, gesturing to the twins' parents' bedroom. "You might wanna double check that claim, Kyle. I hear noises."

"Scared of some goblins, eh, Flash?" Jack laughs, heading for the door, "Relax, it'll be fi-"

The words barely cross his mind before there's a pungently sweet fragrance: the smell of decay, not unlike that of the putrefied goblins outside. With a curse, the orange 'walker diverts himself from the door's path just in time to avoid its swing. A small herd of goblin corpses flies at the party, flailing with the furious famine of the undead.

Barking orders, Lisa opens fire into the mass, narrowly escaping claws. Carson keeps his distance, darting in periodically to aid Jack and Kyle as they sliced their way through the crowd. When all was said and done, the floor had taken on as much blood as a recently-fed vampire, and the party was in desperate need of a break.

"Well, that's settled," the sorceress shudders, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's okay, Lis," the speedster lowers her to the floor, holding her as close as he dared, "Get some rest, alright? I'll keep watch."

Kyle gives the Canadian a nigh-invisible wink. "No way, dude - I've got this. Take a load off; you too, Jack."

"Sweet," the Jedi answers, falling face-first onto the floor and snoring in a matter of moments.

* * *

The other quartet completes the final leg of their journey; all remains quiet.

"Where are all the monsters?" Louisa asks, a tinge of concern showing on her face.

"Good question," Judas shrugs, pounding his knuckles together, "Wherever they are, they'd better stay. I'm not looking forward to them dealing with us."

Despite his trepidation, however, an air hovers about the brawler: anxiety, excitement, and a twinge of glee. Bloodlust. Louisa feels it, recognizing the crimson flare, but says nothing. He's not the only one craving a little combat, after all...

Arriving at the diamond-shaped door first, Laura **Peeks** through it. What she sees causes her to hesitate.

"Guys," she whispers, panicking, "There's a fucking giant in there."

Sofia, Judas and Louisa all stare at her. "Is that a problem?" the clairvoyant replies.

"You bet it's a problem! It means the house's structure is compromised in some form or fashion - that giant didn't just appear!"

"You're crazy, Laura. Probably high, too," the princess scoffs, "Move it. If there is a giant in Judas' house, we're more than capable of taking it."

Laura glares at them, muttering to herself, 'It's not the giant I'm worried about...'

Louisa and the door stare each other down, the peephole warily watching its opponent. She pulls on the handle, and with a grunt the way inside opens. Smirking, Louisa pulls her pan from extra-dimensional storage - and jumps back before she's **Terminate**d by a malicious-looking Cinder.

"You said there was only a giant in there!"

"I said there was a giant, but I didn't say _anything_ about the house being otherwise empty!" the witch exclaims, gathering her strength, "Now get out of the way, or this **Rift Bolt** goes straight through your chest!"

She does so, and moments later a crash indicates the giant's tipping over. The action doesn't stop, though, as a group of skeletal Cinders charge towards the door. Judas shoves Laura to the side and strikes a wide stance. Sofia and Louisa hang back, weapons at the ready, but not a single of the charred skeleton-like elementals makes it past the doorway, struck down by the brawler's fists. After several moments of relative peace, he leads the way inside, kicking corpses out of the way.

"That was something, Judas," the princess admires, "You really sure you need another weapon?"

He shrugs, smirking. "It couldn't hurt, but honestly? I think you guys are right - I don't need anything else. These fists are made of gold."

* * *

Speaking of gold, while the others sleep Kyle ransacks the corpses. He finds some interesting things - gold teeth, armor scraps, a nice pair of boots - and puts it with the rest of the gathered stuff. He also glances at Lisa and Carson, and lets out a shriek.

"I'm pretty sure he's friendly," the awakened sorceress gestures to the inky-black spider comfortably resting on her brow.

"Friendly?!" the druid cries, "It's a horrendous hairy-legged horror! Did I mention it's horrible?!"

Jack pushes Kyle aside, putting his index finger up to the arachnid. "Dude, this thing is sooooo cool. Can I have one?"

"Sure," a tiny voice whispers, and within moments a similar spider appears on his head.

'Can you communicate using thoughts?' the Jedi asks mentally.

'We are Black incarnate; minds are ours to understand and manipulate.' Jack pets his fuzzy friend for answering, earning strange looks from the others but seeming rather oblivious to them.

Carson quickly draws their attention once more. "Guys, I hate to interrupt, but we do have a job to do. Let's get smashing!"

With the speedster's urging, they do just that, grabbing everything they could find...including some rather disturbing objects.

"Lisa?" Carson calls, "Can you explain this vibrating thing I found in your nightstand?"

"A college friend gave it to Louisa at a party, said she hadn't used it in a while and needed it out of her hair. My sister just shoved it back there."

The speedster nods his head silently and hands the thing to Lisa, leaving the room as quickly as he can.

Meanwhile Kyle, rummaging around in the kitchen, pockets several containers of anthrax. Why there would be anthrax in the same cabinet as the olive oil is a mystery...also, where's the tea? All this fighting has the druid craving a cup or two, but all he can find are packages of instant coffee. It's starting to drive him crazy.

"Hey Lisa! Any ideas where I could get some tea?"

The sorceress makes her way down the stairs. "I think my dad kept some white Darjeeling in a box with the cat food. Checks always loved his Bengali comforts."

"Your cat drank tea?"

"Still does, actually," Lisa replies as a black feline figure ambles down the stairs, "My **Black Cat** can survive anything, it seems."

It rubs against the black planeswalker's leg, purring, then bats at Kyle's pant leg, meowing.

The druid is stunned for a moment. "Are you going to show me the tea?" he asks skeptically.

"Meow." With a nod, Checks stalks his way onto a long, flat grey box beneath an island in the living room.

"Yes!" the triumphant Kyle cries out, "Thank you, you beautiful creature!"

What might be called a smirk appears on the cat's face. "Meow."

* * *

Louisa breaks down the door to the armory, simply lashing out with her stilettos rather than worry about a spell. She signals to the others, who storm in, and they bag stuff left and right. Pistols, machetes, suits of plate armor...you name it, Judas' family carried it. This was a running gag for a long time about how the family was preparing for a zombie apocalypse; now that there very well could be one, they're glad they kept things up to date.

"Alright!" the brawler shouts, "It's about time we got underway. Let's scrap this place and be on our way."

Sofia turns towards the giant hole in the front of the house - and sees something on the horizon that made her shudder. "Is that...an Eldrazi?"

"Fuck, here?" the princess exclaims, frying pan clutched in her left hand.

"Looks like it," Laura notes, turning on her watch. "Kyle, we've got an Eldrazi headed our way. Time of arrival unknown. Better head underground."

"Roger dodger!" he 'walkers tear through the house, grabbing what they didn't have to break, and bolt it back through the hole, running until they can't see the door. Behind them, they hear the sound of wood and stone crashing to the ground - it was moving fast.

The witch reached out again. "It just went through the house! Get to the tunnels ASAP! We'll meet you in the middle."

"On it!" the druid called, "Guys, we've gotta move!"

It's around 5 in the afternoon when they finally meet in the caverns, able to feel the weight of the Eldrazi on the ground. Reconnaissance attempts fail them as to which it is, so they take no chances. Finally, they make a decision that completely alters what they'd originally planned.

"We'll make an underground base. This world has a lot of room to expand that direction; once we go down far enough, there are bound to be tunnels that connect to the outside again."

Jack rolls his eyes at the suggestion. "Come on, guys, we're not moles. We can't keep under terra firma like that for very long."

"Alright then," Kyle reforms, "We'll find a cave entrance and make our base there. Best of both worlds. Sound okay?" With no other objections, the plan is solidified, and they start the trek back to the surface.


	5. Chapter 4: Base Camp

Stepping out of the wreckage of Carson's home, the group marvels at the spread of the damage. For miles around, all that could be seen is trampled buildings and encroaching plant life. Their neighborhood's becoming a **Forest**, it seems. The speedster takes the lead, daggers drawn, as he moves as slow as he can stand to through the wreckage towards an open hole in the ground. While they walk, the group soups up their equipment, using some of their scraps to generally improve both their weapons and armor - the witch even going so far as to convert her Hexenmesser into an Equipment card for her summons. Lisa and Jack talk with their **Forehead Spider**s and, through them, each other, a strange empathic bond forming between them. Louisa, Sofia and Laura do some planning - rather, Sofia and Laura plan while Louisa walks near them and stares at a mirror, entranced. The guys, on the other hand...

"I promise you, Carson, there won't be any Eldrazi of that size coming to the cave," Judas asserts.

"Yeah, don't worry," Kyle joins, "It'll be too big a foundation for them to break, but too small of an entrance to get into. Perfect for us."

The speedster retains his suspicions, however. "I get you and Judas like mucking around in tunnels - ours were your idea, after all - but is it completely necessary?"

"Thanks to those Eldrazi? Shit yes it is," both brawler and druid adamantly explain.

"Alright, I get it," the yellow 'walker smirks, "We're becoming cave people. Let's hope it doesn't last too long."

At last, they arrive at their new home, a 10-ft tall opening in a tall hill about a mile outside of town.

The Jedi falls to his knees at the cave. "Thank the gods! My feet have been **killing** me. Let's set up shop."

"Not yet, Mr. Endurance," Louisa's hand stirs around his hair, "We've got to be sure that there's nothing in this damn cave. Anyone got a light?"

"Shouldn't you be the one providing the light?" the witch raises her eyebrow.

The princess shrugs. "Only if you want your white 'walker at a disadvantage in what could be a fight with undead."

"We've already had to handle undead," Carson brushes aside, drawing a glowstick from his Inventory, "Jack, Lisa, Kyle and I fought off a group of **Shambling ****Goblin**s at her house. It was rather violent."

"It's also how we got these wicked bad-ass spiders," Jack cheers up, wiggling around and making the **Forehead Spider** dance.

Lisa rolls her eyes. "Rest assured, sister, we are more than prepared. Especially since I can simply **Wrest Control** of them if need be."

"Enough of this idle chatter," Sofia declares, "I'm just as sick of walking as Jack; let's get in there, assert our dominance, and make a basic camp to settle down at."

The group work towards the clairvoyant's plan, seeing as none of them want to keep trekking around like this. Carson the speedster leads the way, forming a **Lightning Lance** in preparation. Both this and the glowstick provide ample light - until he chucks the **lance** at the **Cave Spider**, that is. He forms another, firing at yet another spider, as his allies bring themselves to bear upon the beasts. Jack forms a fleet of **Dust Devils**, while Sofia slows them with **Frozen Strands**. Louisa's **Flash**es hold several at bay while Kyle's **Hinderv****ines** keep them from harming the team. Laura **Rift Bolt**s the lot of them even as Lisa fires **Bone Shards** at them, using their own corpses as fuel. Judas simply beats them with his fists, utilizing his new gun-gloves with built in pistols to great effect. Still, dozens of the oversized spiders, in typical video game fashion, bear down on, and the group comes to terms with the fact that a form of the game's engine still governs these creatures.

At last, they are defeated, leaving behind a host of spider body parts the group can use in constructing their base. Gathering these pieces, they light the back with some swiftly-made torches and head to the front, gears already turning in their minds about layouts for their home. Reaching the entrance, they are privileged enough to watch the eldrazi from earlier pass them by - and also realize that it appeared on no card they had ever seen.

"That's not an official Eldrazi," Louisa observes.

"No duh, princess," Jack smirks, "Let's build our walls before its spawn swarm us."

Kyle agrees, setting up post on either side of the entrance. "Yes, let's."

The group hops to construction, expanding the druid's starter frame into a deep entranceway. Doors to either room on their side of the passageway allow them to attack enemies who try to enter their home, while traps which deactivate at their heat signature (Carson and Kyle's work) deter them from doing so. Lastly, they cap the entrance hall, which remains three people wide, with a tall metal gate, forged from a multiplicity of scrap metals they'd scrounged from their own homes.

"Base built," Judas wipes his brow, "Let's get some shut-eye."

The insomniac Jack offers his services. "I'll stand first watch. As the official hunter of the group, it's the least I can do."

Louisa yawns, but shakes her head viciously. "I'll join him. Mind if we share guard rooms?"

"We aren't your bosses," Kyle shrugs, "Do what you wish, just keep your hands off each other well enough to do the job."

Blushing and laughter occurs, and the pair scamper off the the left posting before much more can be said. Catcalls echo through the cavern until, at last, the other six fall asleep. Night falls on the world.

* * *

"We did an okay job on this little doorway," the Jedi admires, "It's pretty rare that I can actually stand straight up in a structure we build."

"You are pretty tall," the princess admires from a few feet away. They heard the party's taunts and are fully aware of what'd be said if they didn't keep their act together. On the other hand...

Jack slides over to her, one hand on his lightsaber and the other around her shoulders. "How are you doing with all this? Miss your parents?"

"They were whack jobs," she replies, petting Checks, their unofficial pet.

"Even so," he sighs, "I can't stop thinking about my parents and Nicole. I mean, they were all at home last I knew, and now they're completely gone. I just don't understand what could've happened to them except-"

Louisa nods grimly. "Death. Until we know otherwise, it's the only option we have to believe...You still have that armlet he gave you, don't you?"

"This and the 'saber are all I have left to remember him by," tears begin to drip down Jack's nose.

"Oh, Jack," she wraps him in a tight hug, "For all the appearances you try to keep, with your snarky little comments and your macho exterior, we both know I see right through you. You're as soft as butter where it counts, and I like you for it. A lot."

The Jedi smiles - and freezes, starting at the sound of a trap going off. "We have visitors."

"Of all the piss-poor luck," Louisa mutters, leaping into the entranceway with frying pan in hand. Jack follows, lightsaber igniting as his feet hit the floor, perfectly parallel to the path. They watch as a group of humanoid figures stumble through the traps, but still approach...until-

"Mummies?" Jack scoffs, "Isn't this supposed to be a **Forest**?"

The princess shrugs. "There's a game store nearby, I'm not sure it matters quite yet. Besides, the Eldrazi didn't cause you any logical errors."

"You've got me there. Either way, these things die." And with a yell, he charges towards the bandaged belligerents, **Predatory Instincts** kicking in. Louisa stands back, laying the groundwork for an **Oblivion Ring**, and is surprised as one of the **Tomb Scavenger**s claws at her. Jack turns, simultaneously cleaving one of the undead, and slices its brother in half. Finished with her spell, the princess binds a third one to the right posting, and the other two are swiftly dealt with. After determining that they lack intellect, the last is slain, and all are looted. They collect mostly bandages, although one had a ceremonial dagger bound in their wrappings. Post cremating the corpses in a pile outside the cave, a **Dust Devil** used to redirect the smell, Jack and Louisa return to their standing watch - and their discussion.

"Back on track - you like me? A lot?" the Jedi asks, apparently unsure.

Louisa rolls her eyes. "That wasn't obvious?"

"Well..." Jack shuffles his feet, "I was so caught up wishing you liked me, I may have missed whether you did or no-" He is tackled for his insolence, which starts a wrestling match the Jedi cannot win. After a momentary wide-eyed expression from both of them, they return to upright positions and whistle awkwardly. Eventually, Louisa squeezes his shoulder and leaves him to his work, yawning, and kicks at Kyle. "Your turn."

* * *

The night passes without further incident, and they octet begins to formulate a plan - starting with a name for themselves.

"We aren't the last sentient beings on the planet, thanks to Magic's large humanoid populations," Sofia observes, "so it's important we have something to call ourselves that isn't just 'some planeswalkers'. Any ideas?"

"There's a group like that in the old novels, I think. What was it now..." Kyle sets his hand to his chin, pondering it for a moment.

Lisa laughs. "Yeah, and have ourselves branded as imposters when the real things show up. No, I think we should create something purely ours."

"How about the Originals?" Laura offers, "We are the last of this planet's original population as far as we know, and I think it's a pretty damn good name for any band."

"I say that's a brilliant idea," the druid smirks, something flashing behind his eyes.

The witch stares for a moment, but returns her attention to the conversation as Carson pipes in, "You know, if we are travelling as a party of planeswalkers, doesn't that entitle us to special treatment of some kind? I mean, we are basically the biggest bad-ass mages they're going to find around here."

"Right, unless Jace wanders by and blows our cover," Louisa notes. "Let's keep what all we can do secret until we absolutely have to."

"Besides, we're digging for the tunnels; it'll be a while before we get in contact with civilization," Judas reminds the group.

Jack pulls out a shovel. "Speaking of, how about we get started on that?"

"Good idea," Sofia agrees, drawing out a box of pickaxes.

"To work, then." Kyle shoulders a pick, heads to the wall, and swings his hardest at the ground.


End file.
